Ghosts (Pac-Man)


Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde are the primary group of fictional ghosts who serve as the main antagonists in the Pac-Man franchise. [|Several different ghosts] have appeared throughout the franchise, aside from the ones in the main aforementioned group.

History

The enemies in Pac-Man are known variously as "ghosts", "goblins", and "monsters".
Despite the seemingly random nature of the enemies, their movements are strictly deterministic, which players have used to their advantage. In an interview, creator Toru Iwatani stated that he had designed each enemy with its own distinct personality in order to keep the game from becoming impossibly difficult or boring to play. More recently, Iwatani described the enemy behaviors in more detail at the 2011 Game Developers Conference. He stated that the red enemy chases Pac-Man, and the pink and blue enemies try to position themselves in front of Pac-Man's mouth. Although he claimed that the orange enemy's behavior is random, the game's code reveals that it actually chases Pac-Man most of the time, but also moves toward the lower-left corner of the maze when it gets too close to Pac-Man.

Cartoons

In the Pac-Man cartoon, with the male Ghost Monsters wearing various styles of hats and partnered with a new ghost named Sue, the Ghost Monsters work for Mezmaron who assigns them the job of finding the Power Pellet Forest. Just as Pac-Man could "chomp" the Ghost Monsters to devour their "suits" after gulping down a power pellet and thus turning the Ghost Monsters blue — with their disembodied "eyes" floating back to Mezmaron's lair — the Ghost Monsters themselves, whenever Pac-Man hadn't been able to consume a power pellet for a time, could likewise "chomp" Pac-Man to defeat him. The episodes "Chomp-Out at the O.K. Corral" and "The Greatest Show in Pacland" featured the Ghost Monsters' 3-year-old cousin named Dinky who was bratty, which greatly annoyed all the male ghost monsters.
In the 2013 TV series Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures, the four Ghosts come from the Netherworld. Though they are ruled by Lord Betrayus, they are actually good-natured spirits and often supply Pac-Man with information about Lord Betrayus' plots, while ensuring Betrayus doesn't catch them in the act. It is also suggested that they could be reunited with their bodies and brought back to life, though their 'living' forms are unknown. There were also some Ghosts that were exclusive to the TV series like Cyclops Ghosts, Fire Ghosts, Tentacle Ghosts, Guardian Ghosts, and Aqua Ghosts.

Known ghosts

Below is the description of each Ghost.

Blinky

Blinky, whose real name is listed as Shadow, is a red ghost who, in the original arcade game, follows behind Pac-Man. He is considered the leader of the ghosts. In the Pac-Man cartoon, Blinky is slow-witted and cowardly with grammar problems. In Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures, Blinky is the default leader of the Ghost Gang Family and tends to help the winning side. Blinky receives a speed boost after a number of pac-pellets have been cleared. This mode has been informally referred to as "Cruise Elroy", but in the original Japanese design documents is referred to as "spurt" mode.

Pinky

Pinky, whose real name is listed as Speedy, is a pink female ghost who, in the original arcade game, uses ambush tactics to position herself in front of Pac-Man to surround him. In the Pac-Man cartoon, Pinky is depicted as a male dim-witted shape shifter. In recent games, and Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures, Pinky is depicted as a female once again with a crush on Pac-Man, which often puts her at odds with Cylindria.

Inky

Inky, whose real name is listed as Bashful, is a cyan ghost who, in the original arcade game, has a fickle mood. He can be unpredictable. Sometimes he chases Pac-Man aggressively like Blinky; other times he jumps ahead of Pac-Man as Pinky would. He might even wander off like Clyde on occasion. In the Pac-Man cartoon, Inky is depicted as dim and loony. In Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures, Inky is the youngest member. Though the smartest, he lacks focus most of the time. In Pac-Man, Inky likes to appear in front of Pac-Man's face.

Clyde

Clyde, whose real name is listed as Pokey, is an orange ghost who, in the original arcade game, acts stupid. He will chase after Pac-Man in Blinky's manner, but will wander off to his home corner when he gets too close. In Ms. Pac-Man, this ghost is named Sue, and in Jr. Pac-Man, this ghost is named Tim. In the animated series, Clyde is the leader of the group. In recent games and Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures, Clyde is depicted as a large ghost who is simple, but not unintelligent and has an appetite equal to Pac-Man's. He lacks the devious natures of his brothers and sister and is considerate towards others.

Other ghosts

With the release of further Pac-Man games, more ghosts have been added.

American

; Blinky
; Inky
; Pinky
; Clyde
; Sue

Japanese

; Blinky
; Inky
; Pinky
; Clyde

In other media